Senior forward Nick Martinelli stood stunned.
For the second time in as many home games against ranked opponents, Northwestern held a nine-point lead headed into halftime, and it seemed as though things might have changed.
However, the Wildcats (13-17, 5-14 Big Ten) collapsed in the second half once again, falling to No. 15 Purdue in a 70-66 heartbreaker on Senior Night.
“I felt like our effort and the way we played was worthy of winning tonight,” coach Chris Collins said. “When you have that, and you don’t win, it hurts a little bit more.”
Freshman guard Jake West, who started the previous 13 games, was unavailable due to an ankle injury. In his place, senior guard Justin Mullins made his third start of the season and first since Jan. 11 against Rutgers.
Despite leading for 75% of the game, NU was stifled by a 9-0 run by the Boilermakers (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten) early in the second half. The ’Cats transformed from a team that held the Big Ten’s fourth-ranked scoring offense to a season-low 25 points to a team that gave up the same amount with seven and a half minutes to go in the second half.
The back-and-forth battle that ensued could have gone either way, with 11 lead changes, but the ’Cats wound up falling short.
“We honestly probably cost ourselves 10 to 12 points in transition,” Collins said. “On two-on-ones, three-on-twos, we missed layups. We didn’t convert.”
NU was led by captain and Big Ten Player of the Week Martinelli with 28 points, while C.J. Cox’s 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting guided Purdue to victory.
The ’Cats’ zone defense hawked down every open Boilermaker in the half, keeping the No. 3 offense in the Big Ten scoreless for just over six minutes. NU converted its stops into offense, venturing on a 13-0 run to nab a double-digit lead.
Part of the reason for the ’Cats’ early success was their ability to force turnovers. Purdue, which averages the sixth-least turnovers per game in the country with nine, nearly eclipsed that in the first half alone with eight.
When NU needed turnovers most, however, Purdue controlled its possessions, putting up just one turnover in the final 10 minutes.
As the second half of the back-and-forth battle ensued, NU’s depth scoring evaporated, with only Martinelli and junior guard Jayden Reid scoring for almost the first thirteen minutes of the period.
“I can’t imagine anybody else in the league being able to carry the way he carries us, and not just with his scoring, with his leadership, with his heart, with his emotion, the way he’s embraced being the big brother with these guys this year,” Collins said of Martinelli.
While the ’Cats relied on just two scorers, Purdue’s ability to spread the rock gave it an unbeatable advantage, with the entire starting five scoring in the second half to carry the Boilermakers to their first victory in Evanston since 2022.
Purdue took its first lead of the second half with 6:08 to go, and the intensity only ramped up from there. The teams traded buckets, and the crowd traded moments of standing ovations and stunned silence.
Martinelli was determined to end his NU career with a victory, driving to the basket possession after possession as the Purdue defense surrounded him. He put up 19 points in his final half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. His efforts weren’t enough, however, as the Boilermakers shot 62.5% in the second half compared to the ’Cats’ 45.8% mark.
“They’re just a really good team, and there’s a reason why those guys played in the national championship game,” Collins said.
Purdue’s shooting in the second half was a complete flip from the first, where the team shot 11-for-25 and 3-for-11 from deep.
A dunk by junior center Arrinten Page with 1:57 to go was the first field goal for NU in the second half that wasn’t made by Martinelli or Reid. The Cincinnati transfer, who put up just seven points on the night, gave the ’Cats’ faithful one final gasp of optimism before Purdue showed why it is ranked 15th in the nation.
A costly foul on a Braden Smith 3-pointer by junior guard Jordan Clayton saw the Boilermakers guard knock down all three to put Purdue up 65-63 with 1:33 to play.
But it was Clayton who answered right back with a 3-pointer of his own as the shot clock expired, giving NU the lead once again. Clayton, who hadn’t taken a shot since 4:17 in the first half, sent the Welsh-Ryan crowd into a frenzy.
The three-point trade continued as Cox nailed a deep ball, but didn’t fully close the opening for an NU comeback.
Instead, the game ended as many have this season, with two turnovers on their next two possessions, ending any chance NU had of a comeback and closing the door on the Martinelli era at Welsh-Ryan.
“I appreciate the community really rallying around us these last four years,” Martinelli said. “It’s been great through the ups and downs. We have five wins; there was no need for it to be that packed in (Welsh-Ryan Arena) today.”
After the disappointing finish, the ’Cats play their final game of the regular season against Minnesota on Saturday.
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